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Sandy Could Bring Business Boost To North Texas

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – In the storm ravaged North East, millions are still without power and supplies are getting low. Damage estimates are being calculated in the tens of billions of dollars.

“There’s tremendous personal loss, property loss, and yet over the next 6 months, next 12 months, during that rebuilding process, a lot of companies are going to do very, very,well-including some companies based here in the Dallas Fort Worth area,” says economist Bernard Weinstein, Ph.D. “Ironically, natural disasters are often followed by an economic boom.”

Weinstein, a professor at SMU’s Cox School of Business, says construction companies as well as consumer products will be in big demand as the North East rebuilds. North Texas based Kimberly Clark is expected to be one of those companies that will prosper during the recovery effort. But, company officials say they are focused right now, on helping storm victims recover.

“We are, as we speak mobilizing truck loads of products to go up to emergency shelters both in the New York and New Jersey areas for those families that are affected by Sandy,” says Jenny Lewis, a Vice President for the company’s foundation. Lewis says the company is sending tons of paper towels, feminine products and diapers. “Things that we might take for granted that we have on hand, but when you don’t, life can get pretty complicated, :

And while lots of hard work still stands between ‘now’ and ‘getting-back-to-normal’, the nation is stepping up to help storm victims both recover and rebuild.

“While the rebuilding occurs locally, the people, products, components, lumber, steel whatever … is coming from all over the us, it’s even coming from Dallas.

Robbie grew up in northeast Texas, in a tiny town where her family's history spans six generations.
After working in the business world for several years, Robbie received a Masters of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University's Me...